The ‘smelly’ symptom of IBS that has nothing to do with your bowel movements

Had you heard of this lesser-known symptom before? (Picture: Getty)

What would be in your IBS emergency kit? Probiotics, peppermint tea, perhaps a heat pack?

Well, it might be time to add mouthwash to the list.

While irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common digestive conditions in the world, affecting around 1 in 5 adults in the UK, very few people know about how this gastrointestinal rollercoaster can affect your breath.

Often a lifelong problem, IBS can dramatically impact on an individuals’ quality of life.

And alongside abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating, one lesser-known symptom of an underlying digestive imbalance is smelly or ‘sulphuric’ breath, often referred to as halitosis.

Medical professionals have stated that while IBS itself doesn’t directly cause foul-smelling breath, it often creates conditions that promote and facilitate it.

Much like in Downton Abbey, when there’s chaos downstairs, it doesn’t take long for upstairs to feel the effects.

Why does IBS sometimes cause bad breath?

According to VJ Hamilton, a nutritionist and autoimmunity practitioner, while ‘bad breath typically isn’t top of the list’ when it comes to the signs of IBS, she has seen patients who’ve noticed changes in their breath alongside other symptoms.

VJ explains that ‘IBS is really a collection of symptoms rather than a root cause in itself’ (Picture: Getty Images)

She tells Metro: ‘If food isn’t being properly broken down, it can sit and ferment.

‘If there’s an imbalance in gut bacteria, certain microbes can produce gases and compounds that affect breath. And when gut motility is slower, there’s more opportunity for that stagnation to build’.

Explaining that bloating and bad breath ‘tend to sit side by side’, VJ says that as long as the gut imbalance persists, so will the bad breath.

What kind of smell is associated with bad breath caused by IBS?

The patients VJ has come across have typically described the smell of their IBS breath as ‘sulphuric, musty, or slightly sour.

‘Sometimes it has that fermented quality to it, which tends to reflect what’s happening in the gut, particularly if there’s excess bacterial activity,’ she says.

It’s a similar story for those with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), who’ve also reported suffering from bad breath.

On Reddit, one user described the odour as ‘rotten eggs’, while another revealed that their gut problems cause their breath to smell like ‘human stool’.

How can you manage bad breath caused by IBS?

Although oral hygiene and hydration can help alleviate this symptom in the short term, VJ says that the ‘real shift’ tends to come from supporting the gut itself.

She continues: ‘This will usually mean improving digestion so food is properly broken down, addressing any microbial imbalance and supporting gut motility so the system is moving well.’

Small and simple changes such as slowing eating down, chewing properly, and resting after meals can make a difference.

In other cases, VJ explains that there may be a need for short-term support ‘like digestive bitters or enzymes, or even looking at stomach acid levels if someone has ongoing bloating or heaviness. When digestion improves, you often see a reduction in that fermentative load that can contribute to changes in breath’.

Small changes such as eating slower have been proven to help manage IBS symptoms (Picture: Getty Images)

However, gut health isn’t exclusively connected to what you eat; it’s also about how things move.

So, if someone is ‘grazing all day, not leaving enough space between meals, or dealing with chronic stress’, the natural cleansing waves of the gut don’t function as well, leading to stagnation.

If you’re battling halitosis, something as simple as spacing meals and incorporating gentle exercise like walking can make a noticeable difference.

That being said, if the problems persist, it’s important to seek medical advice.

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